Absolute monarchs ruled though the policy of absolutism. Absolutism declared that the king ruled though divine right with a legitimate claim to sole and uncontested authority (French State Building and Louis XIV). On this basis, Louis XIV of France and Suleiman I of the Ottoman Empire were both absolute monarchs. Each ruler believed that his power belonged to him and him alone due to divine right. They showed their absolute power by living lavishly, increased their power by waging wars, and kept their power by ensuring complete loyalty of their subjects. Suleiman and Louis ruled absolutely by assuring they had all the power for themselves. Suleiman believed that the entire world was a gift to him from God (Hooker). When Suleiman heard a rumor that his son Mustafa may be plotting to over throw him, he had his son and grandson assassinated. Suleiman did not allow any defiance in his empire. He demanded that every subject proclaim their loyalty. Those who were too slow to proclaim their loyalty were declared his enemies; he even went as far as killing three rebels with his own hands (02/04. Discovery). Louis also believed that his kingship was due to the divine because he believed himself to be appointed by God (The Rise and Fall of Versailles). Since Louis did not want to share his power, he fired the current chief minister and appointed himself to the position (Steingrad). No one could tell him what to do because he was the only power in the realm (The Rise and Fall of Versailles). Monarchs often displayed their power by commissioning buildings and monuments. Louis and Suleiman were no exceptions. Louis had one of the greatest palaces in the world build in the middle of a swamp. This showed his absolute power because no builder ... ... middle of paper ... ...4 May 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. . Hooker, Richard. "Suleyman." Jewishvirtuallibrary. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. . Steingrad, Elena. "Biography." Louis XIV. N.p., 26 Nov. 2007. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. . Strayer, Robert W. An Outsider's View of Suleiman I. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. 655-57. Print. Strayer, Robert W. French State Building and Louis XIV. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. 657-58. Print. The Rise and Fall of Versailles (Part 1 of 3). N.d. YouTube. YouTube, 14 July 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. .
In the seventeenth century, the ideology of absolutism was established in France under the reign of Louis XIV. Subsequently, France’s success initated other monarchs to rule as an absolute power including Prussia and Russia. The Russian Tsar, Peter the Great and the Prussian ruler, Frederick William the Great Elector have achieved great success throughout their reign as an absolute monarch. These rulers have also portrayed similar methods of acquiring supreme control over their monarchs and becoming a sovereign power.
Louis XIV is not the only ruler to have established an absolutistic reign. Throughout history, a plethora of monarchs have believed that they were limited only by divine law. Thus, a true absolute ruler can be defined as one that abides by the belief that it is their right to define and decide the law. Because of his profound impact on France during his own reign, historians often point to Louis XIV as an example of this absolutism. Known as the Sun King, Louis XIV ruled over France from 1643-1715. However, Louis XIV was unable to take full control of France until 1661 when Mazarin, Louis XIV’s chief minister, died (Wolf 133).
The palace of Versailles was built by King Louis XIV of France and the Escorial was built by King Philip II of Spain. The two kings each had their differences about their beliefs on how to rule, yet there are some similarities. Louis XIV believed in showing off his power and being open. Philip II was a simplistic guy devoted to Catholicism. They both had military to spread their beliefs and ideas. Despite the kings’ beliefs, their palaces reflected their ideals.
During the 16th and 17th centuries a new type of ruling emerged as a result of unorganized government called royal absolutism. This type of government was seen in many European countries including France and Russia where King Louis XIV and Peter the Great ruled respectively. Both had ways of ruling that were similar to each other and different to each other. Politically, economically and socially both Louis XIV and Peter the Great were similar to and different from how they ruled and what their reign resulted.
By closely analysing the chateaus art and design you gain a different understanding in how the history in this particular era unfolded. The Palace of Versailles became the symbol of the absolution and decadence of the ancient Regime and the French monarch and truly conceived the way Louis XIV “the sun king ” wished to represent power for his court.
McKay, John P., et al. "Republican France." A History of World Societies. By John P. McKay. 9th ed. Vol. 2. N.p.: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. 742. Print.
After studying several absolute monarchs from the Age of Absolutism, I believe that these kinds of rulers helped their nations more than they hurt them. I can think of three absolute monarchs that benefitted their nations greatly, and the first is Catherine the Great of Russia. Catherine seized the throne from her inept husband, Peter III, and began to rule Russia. She was a patron of the arts and a supporter of the enlightenment, especially when it comes to women who participated in the arts. Catherine patroned many female artists and writers in Russia, which is not often seen in the Enlightenment era. Although she heavily promoted female artists, Catherine also befriended several foreign scholars and writers. According to a biography on
In general, absolute monarchs developed their nations more than they harmed them. With Catherine the Great being a absolute monarch she did a lot for her country. Catherine ruled for a total of 34 years. During which she made good educated choices for her country. She was a patron of the arts because she believed it to be important and that is could build Russia a reputation as a center of civilization. She also built more schools for girls and boys. Catherine also write up the “Nakaz” declaring that every man be equal. She also worked to change the feudal system for people that were owned by landowner for life. These laws she wrote from the ideas of another absolute monarch. Catherine did many things for her country during her reign. By also winning wars to get new and more territory. Another absolute monarch that did a lot for their country was Peter the Great. Like Catherine he established a great nation. Peter built the up his army and made them better trained. Plus, he put the Russian orthodox church under his control. As well as reducing the power of the nobles. He gave power to his country with him as ruler. Overall, absolute rulers were better for their country because they knew what was wrong and knew how to fix it.
Absolute monarchies were very dominant political systems during the age of absolutism. The aspect of an absolute monarchy that made it so successful was the complete control that each ruler was able to gain over the country. The dictionary definition of an absolute monarchy is when there is one ruler whom has total control without laws or a constitution to hold him back from giving any orders. This was a very helpful system for many of the rulers during the Age of Absolutism. During this time it was common for one person to be head of state however the rulers who took upon this political system were sometimes negatively affected. There were four main examples of rulers who affected their whole government negatively due to their absolute monarchy. These rulers were Louis XIV(the sun god), Peter the great the tsar of Russia, Charles I, and Philip II. These rulers were able to grow large empires through the ideas of a absolute monarchy. However, their empires were also weakened by absolutism because as enlightenment ideas came to the people they began to realize the unfairness going on. The people began to yearn for equality and started to revolt
Lavish, Luxurious, and Elaborate all describe this expensive, gold plated Palace. In order to express his wealth and power, King Louis XIV demanded Versailles to be built as a symbol of the authority he had over France and Europe. Although Versailles accurately portrayed such symbol, marked as “being one of the world’s most beautiful buildings, the palace of Versailles was also one of the most expensive” (“The Palace of Versailles”) and detrimental to France’s economy. Rich with its affluent history and culture, Versailles, stands as one of the most impactful contributors to the French Revolution.
The glare of the sun blazed over France for seven decades during the most elaborate rule in European history. King Louis XIV was the sovereign king of France at age four, born on September, 5th 1638. His reign lasted longer than any other monarchy in history from 1643-1715. He was the god given child to his mother Queen Anne of Austria. She held the title Regency during her son’s younger years. France was in a total eclipse state politically with nineteen million subjects and a weak financial situation. The sovereign suffered from neglect from his mother, she allowed servants to raise and see to the day to day needs of his majesty. During an outing he nearly drowned due to a lack of supervision. Although evidence shows strong neglect his mother
His concept of royal authority was the divine right to rule absolute power. His declaration, “L’état, c’est moi” (“I am the State”) illustrated his status that God’s chosen regents cannot be bound to parliaments. However, he kept local authority loyal to him and satisfied by not limiting their power. He and his ministers supported financial privileges of local institutions. Louis consulted parlements with economic regulations before coming to conclusions that would affect them. Many regional parlements supported the monarch in this way. Louis clashed with Paris’ parlement and subsequently, he reduced the parlement’s power by placing the policy to register laws before questioning them; this is an example of his supremacy in the court. In the palace of Versailles, nobles struggled for sovereign favor than disputing in individual wars. His absolute monarchy stabilized France and centralized a strong government that would endure for many
During the 15th and 16th centuries, absolutism was at the peak of its popularity in Europe. A country that was ruled by an absolutist ruler during this time was France, under the rule of Louis XIV. He consolidated power in France, he built Versailles, he limited the nobility, and increased the power of the king. Because of these facts Louis had positive effects on France under his rule.
According to the text book, an absolute monarch is a king or queen who has unlimited power and seeks to control all aspects of society (McDougall little, 1045). In more simple terms, it is a ruler who can do just about anything without having to get permission from anyone, or having to worry about the repercussions. This was a trend that started in the 1600’s by European leaders who were rich, and didn’t like to be told what to do. These conflicts arose with the States-General in France, or Parliament in England who had substantial control. The first countries to have absolute rulers were the traditionally strong countries, such as England, Spain, and of course Louis XIV’s France.
One of the most important elements of Versailles that affected Louis XIV’s reign was the use of propaganda. The Palace contained “paintings, statues, tapestries” (Page) and a general grandness that significantly promoted Louis’ name. Louis himself was a “prominent subject in the artwork” (Montclos 330) and was portrayed as handsome and god-like. Even in the aspects of the Palace where Louis wasn’t literally being represented, the grand nature of Versailles sent out a message that the King was living lavishly, and was therefore very powerful. Louis XIV used the grandiosity of his Palace and the art inside to promote himself to his people.